1. Start with the veggies and mushrooms. Clean the mushrooms, remove dry parts and cut them into bite-size pieces – smaller ones can be left whole. Peel and chop the onion and garlic finely. Clean the carrot and dice it finely. Cut the leek into rings and rinse it well with water to get all dirt and sand out between the layers. Drain and set aside. Remove the sausage meat from the casings and tear into small pieces.

2. Add some oil and the butter to a large Dutch oven (or large pot) and heat up. Add the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes until nicely browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.

3. Add more oil if needed, and sauté the onions and garlic until soft and glossy. Add the diced carrot and cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring constantly. Next, add the sausage meat and cook until nicely browned. Add the leek rings and continue cooking until the leek is slightly softer – another 3-4 Minutes while stirring often.

4. Deglaze the meat and veggies with the wine and let it cook down a bit. Add the veggie stock, chunky tomatoes, oregano, and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Return the mushrooms to the Dutch oven/pot and stir in – cover and let everything simmer over slightly reduced heat for about 45-50 minutes. Stir occasionally.

5. Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). If your Dutch oven/pot is allowed to go into the oven, you can continue using it here – everyone else should use a large casserole dish instead. When using a casserole dish, you should let the meat and veggies cool down a bit to avoid damage to the casserole dish due to high temperature differences… I broke more than one baking dish because of that already. ;P

6. Shape small potato dumpling with the potato dumpling dough and place them on top of the meat and veggies in your Dutch oven/pot or casserole dish. Sprinkle the dumplings with the grated cheese and bake in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes.

7. While everything is roasting and toasting in the oven, melt some butter in a small saucepan, add the breadcrumbs and toast them until nicely browned (but not too dark). Spread the browned breadcrumbs evenly all over the baked dumplings and serve.